Fruit-elevator.



F. STEBLER.

FRUIT ELEVATOR.-

APPLICATION FILED APR.5, 1909.

Patented May 28, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. STBBLER.

I FRUIT ELEVATOR. APPLICATION FILED APR.5, 1909.

Patented Mayv=28, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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. UNITED STATES invention.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRED STEBLER, RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

f FRUIT-ELEVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28,1912.

- Application filed April 5,1909. Serial .NO. 488,115. v

To'all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRED STEBLER, a citizenof the United States, residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and State-of I California, have invented a new and useful Fruit-Elevator, of which the following'is a specification.

This invention relates to an elevator for elevating and .delivering fruit to fruit cleaners, graders or other fruit handling apparatus.

The main object of the present invention ."is to provide a fruit elevator adapted to receive the ordinary fruit boxes and to elevate and dump the same and deliver the fruit.

therefrom to the fruit handling apparatus aforesaid. 4

A further object'of the invention is to facilitate the delivery of the boxes .to the i machine by the operators in charge.

Another object is to provide automatic.

and mechanical means for dumping, as hand dumping is unsatisfactory from carelessness and other causes resulting'in in ury-to fruit,

as, for instance, pushing it forward inthe hopper with the box.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter. j

The accompanying drawings illustrate the Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the elevator. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof. a Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line as -11? in Fig. 1, illustrating the hop-per, into 5 which the fruit is delivered by the elevating mechanism, and illustrating the conveying means for automatically forwarding the fruit through the cleaner, grader or other'fruit handling apparatus, and simultaneously autom'atically sifting out and expelling any dirt, leaves or foreign material which may g bemixed with the body of fruit, p Y, I 1 designates the fruit, leaner or other fruit handling apparatus to which thefr'uit is to be raised and delivered by the elevator Theelevator comprises an elevator mecha nism proper for raising the fruit and a delivery means for delivering .the fruit from the elevator mechanismlto the fruit handling. means 1. The said parts are mounted in a suitable frame 2 which is open at the ends 1 v and is provided at each side of the front end with a-vertical track 4, said track having flanges 3 to engage and guide rollers 5 at the opposite ends of a shaft 6 which is onnected -to and supports abox carrier'7.

he upper end oftrack 4 curves backward. to form a hori'zontalextension 4. An arm "or link 8, connected to the shaft 6 at each end of thebox, carries a cross bar 9 with a roller-I10 at each end, said rollers engaging rollers 5and 10, connected thereto, constitute a vertically movable member on which the box carrier is pivoted, this vertically movable member controlling the movement of the box carrier, by its engagement-with the track, so that the box carrier'is guided lower and upper positions. This vertically movable means is arrested when the box carrier reaches its upper position; byengagement of the rollers 5 inthe horizontally ex:- tendingtrack portions 1, and'means are provided for effecting further movement of the box carrier, at this time, to tip the-said'carrier. Rollers 5 and 10 are flanged to enbox carrier against lateraldisplacement.

to'receive an ordinary fruit box, for example, an orange or lemon box, the-carrier g normally supported in position-with .its bottom plate or bar 7 tippedupwardly and forwardly and with theback plate 11 flangeor ledge 13 to retain the box while the-fruit is being dumped, as hereinafter des r bfi 'At e'ach'end of the box carrier an elevator chain 14 is attached to the back 11 of carrier 7 aforesaid at a point eccentric to the pivotal connection or shaft 6 of the box, and passes upwardly and over a wheel 15 at the ing 17 The operating means for the elevator comandrollino-i on the outside of the track 4. Shaft 6 withthe. links 8, crossbar 9 and vertically. so as to be movable between gage, laterally with the track t'to hold the 80 The box carrier 7 is formed as an angle" frame'open attop and in" frontandadapted tipped upward and rearwardlyf at right plate 11 is provided atits upper end with a top offrame 2 and then down to a counter- 7 weight 16 running in a vertical box or casprises an operating shaft 19 mounted in bearings 19 on the frame 2, an operating wheel 20 loosely mounted on said shaft and connected to be driven as hereinafter described, arms 21 fast on said shaft 19 and engaged by the said operating wheel, as hereinafter set forth, and a link 22 connected to each of the aforesaid arms 21 and to the brace bars 12 of box carrier 7. The con nection of links 21 to the box carrier 7 is out 1 of vertical line with the engaging connecthe shaft 19 and arm 21 in the operation of the mechanism, as hereinafter described.

' Crank or arm 21 is provided with a counterweight 25 extending oppositely to said arm.

Brake means are provided for the elevator lifting mechanism consisting of a brake lever 37 pivoted at 38 and having a shoe 39 adapted to engage with a projecting portion 40' on a disk 40 attached to shaft 19, said except when the opposite the same.

brake-lever being provided with an operating weight 41 to produce the breaking pressure against the brake wheel portion 40,

.and a stop means 43 is provided for limiting the movement of the brake lever so as to prevent engagement of the brake shoe The fruit is delivered fromthe box carrier into a suitable hopper provided with means for automatically conveying the fruit to the desired cleaner, brusher, grader or, other machine or receptacle. This hopper is preferably so related to the conveylng means that any foreign material, such as dirt, leaves, etc., mixed with the fruit will be sifted out as the fruit is carried out of the hopper by the conveying means. In Fig. 3 an embodi ment of such construction and interrelation of parts is shown. The hopper is shown as provided with portions 33 at each side of the conveyer meansl These portions .33 incline downwardly from the sides of the hopper and. inwardly to the edge of the conveying means, thus, in effect, forming a trough in the bottom of the hopper. The bottom of this trough is preferabl open at the point Where the lower edges of the portions 33 approach each other, thus-forming a sifting slot or opening. There may be any desired number of conveying In the drawing I have illustrated the trough like bottom of the hopper as provided with projectingportion 40 is means.

two conveying means and two open sifting slots or openings, both these being arranged between the inclined side portions 33 forming the hopper bottom. When two or more conveying means are provided in the hopper 1 preferably provide between each conveymg means with its open sifting or discharge slots or openings, and-the adjacent conveying means, with its open sifting or discharge slot, a portion 34 having inclined sides preferably rising above the conveying means and inclined downward toward the conveying means at each of its sides and also preferably inclined forwardly with respect to the direction of motion of the conveying means. In order to most fully utilize the sifting slot or opening for the discharge of dirt, leaves, etc., I prefer to form each conveying means of two endless cables or rope belts 27, mounted on pulleys or wheels 28, 29, journaled in bearings 30, 31 on the frame 2. The edges of the portions 33, and adjoining edges of the portions 34, when more than one conveying means is used, are provided with grooves in which the rope belts 27--travel and rest. The two cables or rope-belts, forming a conveying means, are spaced apart a sufficient distance so as to permit the free sifting out and discharge of the leaves and. dirt and not permit the fruit to fall therethrough. A stripper plate 36 may be provided between the conveying means 28 and the apparatus 1.

The shaft 28' of the forward set of conveyer pulleys preferably constitutes the driving shaft forithe elevating mechanism,

said shaft being provided with asuitable driving connection and carrying a sprocket wheel 35 connected by 'a sprocketchain 36 with the operating wheel 20 which is also formed as a sprocket wheel.

I preferably cushion the bottom of the I hopper, as indicated at 38, on the portions 33, 34 of the hopper bottom.

The conveyers 27 being in the form of cables or rope belts present smooth surfaces engaging the fruit by frictional contact, in distinction I to .positive engagement by spiked or toothed surfaces, such as would be liable to injure the fruit Said cables are preferably embedded in the inclined floor of the trough, so that their tops'are substantially flush with said floor, the surface of said cable being exposed at the top and on the side toward the slot, so that the fruit may rest thereon at each side' and be carried along directly over' the slot.

The operation is as follows: Normally the box carrier 7 rests .in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the back 11 thereof resting against the cross shaft'9 of the arms '8 andforming a rectangular seat for the fruit boxes, said seat being tipped slightly up- .ward to retain the box as above stated. The rotation of pperating wheel.20 proceeds part upper'end of its stroke. the-rollers 5 thereof of the time without-efi'ect on' itheel'evat-or mechanism, but when the lug. on said wheel strikes the'lug 23 on.1 thearm,21', the

' said arm isrotated and thelink 22 is there- I 'b carrier and box' andthe weight of the arm -5 eb n hing; the amount ""of powerfrequire .to perform the lifting operation: :As the box carrier approaches the run into the" forwardly. projecting portions 4" of the guide, trackset, and on reaching the horizontal portion of'said guide trac f and being the motionlofithe [upper end of the box carrier is arrested Continued-motion of the arm 21 and link 22 causes the lower end of the box carrier'to continue its 'upward'movement, causing the box carrier to turn on the shaft 6' of rollers 5 as the center, and causing the box totip downwardly and forwardly, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and to discharge its fruit onto the table means, the fruit then running from the table means onto the con'vey'eror c'onveyers 27 delivered by the conveyer or conveyers 2 fruit handling apparatus 1. This lifting operation corresponds roughlyto one-half revolution of the operating wheel 20, anddurin this one-half revolution the lug23 of the arm 21- hasbeen against the lug 20 of the operating whee1.- As these lugs pass over the dead-center at the top of the wheel,

' rier, etc.,;is to accelerate instead of retard the rotation of the arm 21, and the said arm the tendency of the weight of the.box carwill'therefore move forward, the lug 23 leaving the lug 20 and'the arm 21 rapidly completing its rotation sothat the box carrier quickly descends to its lowermost position shown in, Fig. 1;" This motion is finally 1 arrested by brake means 37, 40, which brings.

t-he rotary member or shaft 19 to rest in a gradual smooth manner and prevents it from moving too far under the action of the momentum of the parts. The lifting mechanism then remains idle during the time that proximately to one-half revolution of the op-- erating wheel. During this time the box carrier 7 remains in the lowermost position 'shownin full lines in Fig. 1 and in convenient position for the .fruit boxes to be deposited thereon by the attendants or operators. 'The elevator .thus provides for maintaining the box for a definite interval as. ;of time in stationary position for the recep-' tion of the fruit, then lifting the box} and ,andstripp'er plate 36 onto the.

dumping it and finally returning the box to lowered position by a quick movement. While I have shown the means for re- [tainin the box on the carrier when'tipped, as a ledge 13 formed as a part of the back plate 11,. it is obvious the many expedients may be used in its place, such for instance as a canvas strip attached on'the plate 11,

-and I do not confine myself to forming such means as a metallic part oras integral with the plate 11.

What I claim is: 1. In a fruit elevator, vertically movable means, a' box carrier pivotally mounted on said verticall movable means to raise and lower therewlth "and to tip thereon, means for arresting the upward movement of the vertically movable means, and means for raising and lowering the box-carrier with the vertically movable means and for op erating on the box-carrier,"on the arrest of box-carrier when in elevated position.-

2. A- fruitelevator comprising a frame, a box carrier mounted to move up and down thereon, means for lifting the carrier, comprising a rotary member provided with a crank arm, a connection from said crank arm to the carrier, a rotary driving means, means for operativel-y disconnectlng the rotary member from the said driving means to enable the carrier to descend by gravity, and brake means for arresting the movement of the rotary member. a

3. A' fruit elevator comprising aframe, a box carrier mounted to move up and down thereon, a rotary member, means for driving said vertically movable means, to tip the w saidrotary member, an arm mounted to romm and connected to the box carrier to lift the same, means on said rotary-member and, on said arm to operatively connect the arm withthe rotary member during a'portion of the rotation. of said member and to allow the arm to move relatively to the rotary, member during another portion of such ro-' tation of the rotary memberito allow the box carrier to descend by gravity;

4. In a fruit elevator, a as an angle member open at top and front to receive a box and provided at its top with a ledge to retain the box when the carrier is in tipped position, and means for raising box carrier formed and lowering said carrier and for tipping".

- carrier in'its vertical movement, and having a horizontal extension to arrest the vertical movement of the connected part of the carrier and cause the carrier to move horizonthe fruit therefrom,

tally, the connection of the operating means to the carrier being out of the vertical line of the engaging connection with the track,

. tracks.

so that when the motion of the carrier is ar'- rested it will be tipped by the further movement of the operating .means. 5. In a fruit elevator, track means provided with a stop portion, a box carrier having engaging connection with. the track means to be guidedthereby and to be arrested by the stop means, vertically movable means connected with the carrier at a point out of line with the connection to the track means wherebythe carrier is raised by said vertically movable means until'it is arrested by the stop on saidtrack means and isthenmeans engaging insaid tracks to guide the .carrier thereon, a rotary crank member, and means connected thereto and to the box car rier for raising and lowering the box carrier on said tracks, means for tipping the box carrier at the upper end of thetracks,

said tracks having horizontal extensions at their upper ends, and lifting means for the box carrier being adapted to lift the lower end of the box after the upperend has been arrested by such extensions.

8. A fruit elevator comprising a frame having vertically extending tracks provided with horizontal extensions at their upper ends, a'box carrier having means engaging in said tracks to guide the box carrier, means pivotally connected with the box and provided with means engaging said tracks'to hold said last-named meansin positionfor sustaining the box carrier during the lifting motion thereof, and an operating mechanism provided with means connected to the box carrier to raise the same to the upper end of the elevator and to lift the lower end of thebox carrier'after the upper end thereof has been arrested by engagement of its guiding means in the horizontal extension of the aforesaid track means. I

9. A fruit elevator comprising a frame having vertically extending tracks providedwith horizontal extensions at their upper ends, a box carrier having means engaging in said tracks to guide the box'carrier, means pivotally connected with the box and provided with means engaging said tracks to hold said last named means in position for I sustaining the box carrier during the liftin-g motion thereof, and an operating mechanism provided with means connected to the box carrier to raise the same to the upper end of the elevator and to lift the lower end of the box carrier after the upper end there'- of has been arrested by engagement of its guiding means in the horizontal extension of the aforesaid track means, and a'counten; I weight connected to said box carrierat'a point eccentric to its guiding connection to effect the final tipping of the box carrier atf the upper end of its movement. I

10. In a fruit elevator, vertically movable means mounted to move upand down .between lower andupper positions, a box-carrier pivotally mounted on said vertically movable means to move up and down therewith and to tip thereon, means for arresting the upward movement of said vertically movable means, operating means connected to lift said vertically movable means with the box-carrier, and means operated by said operating means to tip said carrier on such said crank and connected to raise the verti-.

cally movablefmeans, said pitman being connected to the box-carrierv to tip. the'same when in raised position.': I 12. In a fruit elevator, a box carrier movable from lowerto upper position, a driving shaft, a crank thereon, a pitman operated by said crank-to. raise the. box carrier, and means for" arrestingthe upward movement of said:box carrier, said box carrier being connected to. said pitman to continue to move the carrier-when its upward movement is arrested; thereby tipping ,the carrier.

. 13. In a fruit elevatingapparatus, track means, awboxcarrier pivotally and slidably engaging at a portion thereof with said track means, and having another portion engaging with" the track means to determine the normal angular position of the box carrier, said track means being pro- ,vided' with stop means for arresting the upward movementof the portion of the box carrier engaging with the track means, and operating means movable upwardly and downwardly and connected to the box carrier at a part other than the part engaging with the track means to cause the carrier to be tipped by an'upward movement of said operating means when the c'arrieris arrested by said stop. I

14. In a fruit elevating apparatus, a box carrier, a track on which the box carrier is movable upwardly and downwardly, said box carrier provided with means for engaging said track, and said track being provided with means for arresting theupward movement of said engaging means, and operating mechanism comprising a crank, and

a connection from said crank to the box 1,027,573 i v i 5 carrier at a part other then the ineans en-' my hand et Lbs Angeles, Califernia, this gaging with the traclg whereby thenpward 30th day of March 1909.

movement of the box carrier by the 0 erat-eing means will cause thebox to be te ipped FRED STEBLER' 5 after thesaid stop has arrested the move- In presence of-' ment of the engaging part of the box carrier. ARTHUR P. KNIGHT,

In testimony whereof," I have hereunto set FRANK L. A. GRAHAM. 

